Support assembly for a roof element, shelter comprising said support assembly and method to mount said shelter

ABSTRACT

A support assembly ( 10 ) for a roof element of a shelter of the type with central pole, the roof element including a frame ( 44 ) and canvas ( 40 ) intended to be tensioned between the frame and the support assembly, the support assembly including:
         a central pole ( 18 ),   a rim ( 20 ) fixed to said central pole ( 18 ) to receive a central part of the canvas ( 40 ),   a flange ( 22 ) fixed in an upper part of the central pole ( 18 ), said flange comprising a set of radial pulleys ( 26 ), and   a tensioning ring ( 24 ) mounted slidingly and able to be locked onto said central pole ( 18 ). A shelter including the support assembly and a method to mount this shelter are disclosed.

The present invention concerns a support assembly for a roof element, a shelter comprising said support assembly and a method to mount said shelter.

FIG. 1 shows a shelter according to the state of the art. It comprises a central pole 2, a roof element consisting of a quadrangular bar structure 3 forming a frame, and a tensioned canvas 4. The tensioned canvas 4 comprises a central orifice through which the pole passes 2. The periphery of this orifice is fixed to a rim 5 mounted on the pole 2. The outer periphery of the canvas 4 is fixed to the frame 3. Cables 6 supporting the frame and tensioning the canvas join attachment points 7 of the frame to a flange 8 fixed to the top of the central pole.

The mounting of said shelter proceeds as follows. The canvas 4 is placed on the ground so that the base which is to receive the central pole 2 is apparent in the orifice of the canvas 4. The frame 3 is then is brought to or assembled on the ground around the base, then the pole 2 comprising the rim 5 is erected using a crane. The inner periphery of the canvas 4 is then fixed to the rim 5 and its outer periphery is fixed to the frame 3. In this position the canvas 4 is not tensioned.

The positioning of the frame is also carried out with the canvas non-tensioned. The frame 3 is lifted by a crane. The cables 6 are then placed in position and their length adjusted. The tensioning of the canvas 4 is obtained by increasing the vertical distance between the frame 3 and the rim 5. This can be done using a central pole of telescopic type which is lengthened (in the part between the rim and the top of the pole) or using a non-telescopic pole by lowering the rim along the pole then locking it into its final desired position.

The method for mounting a shelter according to the state of the art has limitations. Owing to the need to use a crane in particular to lift the frame, it is sometimes difficult to mount the shelter when the free height above the shelter is limited e.g. due to the presence of trees or if the location at which the shelter is to be mounted is restricted and limits the free movement of the crane.

In the area of support assemblies for roof elements which do not require cranes for their assembly, a tent is already known subject of patent U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,952 which comprises a support assembly comprising a central pole, a rim fixed to the central pole to receive part of the canvas, a flange fixed to the upper part of said central pole comprising an assembly of radial pulleys and a ring mounted slidingly on the pole. However, the cable pulley assembly is used to raise the sides of the canvas to provide access to the inside of the tent, and not to mount said tent.

A marquee of large surface area is also known from patent U.S. Pat. No. 3,743,734 which comprises a plurality of poles intended to carry a canvas and comprising an assembly of three radial pulleys. On each pole, a first, a second and a third ring are mounted slidingly from top to bottom which are each retained by a rope, a chain and said pulleys used for their positioning and to prevent them from falling to the ground. However, said poles do not have any tensioning rings and the tensioning of the canvas partly secured to the third ring is obtained through the effect of gravity and by means of several arms hinged on the first ring and held in position by the second ring.

One purpose of the present invention is to propose an alternative solution for a shelter whose structure is such that its mounting is advantageously easy and can be achieved without a crane, and hence can be mounted particularly in restricted or congested environments and/or of low height.

More precisely, the subject-matter of the present invention is a support element for a roof element, this roof element comprising a frame and a canvas to be tensioned between the frame and the support assembly, this support assembly comprising a central pole; a rim fixed to the central pole to receive a central part of the canvas; a flange fixed in an upper part of the central pole, this flange comprising a set of radial pulleys; and a tensioning ring mounted slidingly and which can be locked onto the central pole.

This particular structure of the support assembly allows the shelter to be mounted without having recourse to a crane, as will be described in more detail below in the remainder of the description.

Advantageously the support assembly also comprises a plurality of cables each cable having a first end fixed to the tensioning ring and being passed over one of the pulleys.

A further subject of the present invention is a shelter of the type with a central pole and a roof element mounted on the central pole, said shelter comprising a support assembly conforming to the invention, a frame around the central pole of the support assembly and a tensioned canvas of which a central part is fixed to the rim of the support assembly and a peripheral part is fixed to the frame, a second end of each cable being fixed to the frame and the tensioning ring being locked onto the central pole in a position such that the cables are tensioned.

According to one preferred embodiment the frame is quadrangular. The cables are preferably attached to the frame at regularly spaced apart attachment points.

A further subject of the invention is a method to mount a shelter comprising the following steps:

erecting a support assembly according to the invention,

arranging or assembling a frame around the support assembly,

fixing the second end of each cable to respective attachment points on the frame,

fixing a canvas, having an outer periphery and a central orifice defining an inner periphery, onto the frame via its outer periphery and onto the rim of the support assembly via its inner periphery,

pulling the tensioning ring downwards to lift the frame, and

locking the tensioning ring on the central pole.

It will be understood that it is not necessary for these steps to be carried out in this indicated order. For example, the canvas can be arranged on the ground around the base before erecting the support assembly, and the canvas fixing step can precede the fixing step of the cables onto the frame.

The method may comprise a step to move the rim upwardly before the step to pull the tensioning ring downwards and/or a step to pull the rim downwards after the step to pull the tensioning ring downwards.

One embodiment of the present invention is described below as a non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1, already described shows a shelter according to the state of the art,

FIGS. 2 to 8 show side or perspective views illustrating the different mounting steps of the shelter according to the invention, and

FIG. 9 details the top of the central pole at the time when the frame is being lifted.

FIG. 2 shows a support assembly 10 brought close to a base 12, comprising a concrete block 14 and bedding crossheads 16 on which the support assembly 10 is to be erected.

According to the invention, this support assembly comprises a central pole 18 comprising a rim 20 intended to receive the inner periphery of a canvas, a flange 22 fixed in an upper part e.g. at the top of the central pole 18, and a tensioning ring 24. The flange 22 is equipped with a series of pulleys 26 on each of which a cable 28 is passed, one end of each cable being fixed to the tensioning ring 24, the other end being free.

Before positioning the support assembly 10 on its base, the cables 28 are provisionally held against the central pole 18 by an attachment such as lacing 30. Also a lifting flange 32 is provisionally mounted on the central pole 18, preferably close to its centre of gravity.

The support assembly is first hung from a cable 34 of a lifting pole 36 via its lifting flange 32. The cable 34 is then wound using a crank 38 until the support assembly 10 is at a sufficient height so that it can be pivoted into a vertical position (cf. FIG. 3). The support assembly 10 is then lowered onto its base 12 by unwinding the cable 34. It will be appreciated that this operation can be easily performed by two mounting operators, one actuating the crank 38 and the other causing the support assembly 10 to pivot and engage in the bedding crossheads 16.

It will be noted that for this erecting step of the support assembly it is not necessary to have recourse to a crane. The use of a lifting pole is also advantageous in that its height may the same or even smaller than the height of the support assembly, which means that the shelter can be mounted even in locations where overhead height above the shelter is negligible.

As illustrated FIG. 3, the canvas 40 is placed on the ground before embedding the support assembly 18, even before the pivoting of the support assembly 10, the central orifice 42 of the canvas lying so that it faces the base.

The support assembly 10 being embedded, the lifting pole 36 is removed, the cables 28 are released from their attachment 30 and the lifting flange 32 is removed.

The following step consists of placing the frame 44 in position as illustrated FIG. 4. This operation requires use of the elements of the frame 44, formed of beam sections 46 and crossbars 48. The beam sections 46 are placed on trestles 50 and the frame 44 is mounted thereupon by fixing the crossbars 48, e.g. by bolting, onto the beam sections 46 and by joining the ends of the beam sections together.

As illustrated FIG. 5, the free end of the cables 28 is then attached to the attachment points 52 of the frame 44 and, after removing the trestles 50, the canvas 40 is fixed first onto the rim 20 via its inner periphery and secondly onto the frame 44 via its outer periphery. The canvas can be attached by any known means, in particular by gluing, welding, using clips, or other.

The frame 44 is then lifted to the desired height. In this step, and unlike methods in the prior art, it is not necessary to use a crane.

All that is required is to pull the tensioning ring 24 downwardly. This can be achieved simply as shown FIG. 6 by installing a manual cable winch 54 of TIRFOR type (Registered trademark) on a provisional flange 56 fixed to the central pole 18, and by connecting the tensioning ring 24 to the cable winch 54 via a cable 58 (see FIG. 9), the rim 20 comprising at least one lumen to pass the cable 58. This installation is carried out before fixing the canvas 40 to the frame 44 and rim 20, and preferably before assembling the frame 44 as shown FIG. 4.

Before actuating the cable winch 54 to raise the frame 44, it may be necessary to slide the rim 20 upwardly so that, when the frame 44 reaches the desired height, the canvas 40 is not tensioned (cf. FIG. 7). Alternatively, if the final positions of the frame 44 and rim 20 to obtain the desired canvas tensioning are known beforehand, it is possible to place the rim 20 in this final position and then to actuate the cable winch 54.

In the first case, such as illustrated FIG. 7, after locking the tensioning ring 24 onto the central pole 18, the cable winch 54 is used to lower the rim 20 until the canvas 40 is correctly tensioned, and the positioning of the rim 20 on the central pole 18 is locked in place.

The mounting is now completed. The provisional cable winch 54 and flange 56 can then be removed from the support assembly 10. The mounted shelter has the appearance illustrated FIG. 8. 

1. Support assembly (10) for a roof element of a shelter of the type having a central pole, the roof element comprising a frame (44) and a canvas (40) intended to be tensioned between the frame and the support assembly, said support assembly being characterized in that it comprises: a central pole (18), a rim (20) mounted slidingly and which can be locked onto the central pole (18) to receive a central part of the canvas (40), a flange (22) fixed in an upper part of said central pole (18), said flange comprising a set of radial pulleys (26), and a tensioning ring (24) mounted slidingly and which can be locked onto said central pole (18).
 2. Support assembly (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a plurality of cables (28), each cable having a first end fixed to the tensioning ring (24) and being passed over one of the pulleys (26).
 3. Support assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the flange (22) is fixed to the top of the central pole (18).
 4. Shelter of the type with central pole and roof element mounted on said central pole comprising: a support assembly (10) according to claim 2, a frame (44) around the central pole (18) of the support assembly (10), and a tensioned canvas (40) of which a central part is fixed to the rim (20) of the support assembly (10) and a peripheral part is fixed to the frame (44), a second end of each cable (28) of the support assembly (10) being fixed to the frame (44), and said tensioning ring (24) of the support assembly (10) being locked onto the central pole (18) in a position such that the cables (28) are tensioned.
 5. Shelter according to claim 4, characterized in that the frame (44) is quadrangular.
 6. Shelter according to claim 4 characterized in that the cables (28) are fixed to the frame (44) at regularly spaced apart attachment points (52).
 7. Method to mount a shelter comprising the following steps: erecting a support assembly (10) according to claim 2, on a base (12), arranging or assembling the frame (44) around the support assembly (10), attaching the second end of each cable (28) of the support assembly (10) to respective attachment points (52) of the frame (44), fixing a canvas (40), having an outer periphery and a central orifice (42) defining an inner periphery, onto the frame (44) via its outer periphery and onto the rim (20) of the support assembly (10) via its inner periphery, pulling the tensioning ring (24) downwards to lift the frame (44), locking the tensioning ring (24) onto the central pole (18).
 8. Mounting method according to claim 7, wherein the fixing step of the canvas (40) precedes the fixing step of the cables (28) onto the frame (44).
 9. Mounting method according to claim 7, comprising a step to lay the canvas (40) on the ground around the base (12) before the step to erect the support assembly (10).
 10. Method according to claim 7, comprising a step to move the rim (20) upwardly before the step to pull the tensioning ring (24) downwards and/or a step to pull the rim (20) downwardly after the step to pull the tensioning ring (24) downwards.
 11. Support assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that the flange (22) is fixed to the top of the central pole (18).
 12. Shelter of the type with central pole and roof element mounted on said central pole comprising: a support assembly (10) according to claim 11, a frame (44) around the central pole (18) of the support assembly (10), and a tensioned canvas (40) of which a central part is fixed to the rim (20) of the support assembly (10) and a peripheral part is fixed to the frame (44), a second end of each cable (28) of the support assembly (10) being fixed to the frame (44), and said tensioning ring (24) of the support assembly (10) being locked onto the central pole (18) in a position such that the cables (28) are tensioned.
 13. Shelter according to claim 5 characterized in that the cables (28) are fixed to the frame (44) at regularly spaced apart attachment points (52).
 14. Method to mount a shelter comprising the following steps: erecting a support assembly (10) according to claim 11, on a base (12), arranging or assembling the frame (44) around the support assembly (10), attaching the second end of each cable (28) of the support assembly (10) to respective attachment points (52) of the frame (44), fixing a canvas (40), having an outer periphery and a central orifice (42) defining an inner periphery, onto the frame (44) via its outer periphery and onto the rim (20) of the support assembly (10) via its inner periphery, pulling the tensioning ring (24) downwards to lift the frame (44), locking the tensioning ring (24) onto the central pole (18).
 15. Mounting method according to claim 8, comprising a step to lay the canvas (40) on the ground around the base (12) before the step to erect the support assembly (10).
 16. Method according to claim 8, comprising a step to move the rim (20) upwardly before the step to pull the tensioning ring (24) downwards and/or a step to pull the rim (20) downwardly after the step to pull the tensioning ring (24) downwards.
 17. Method according to claim 9, comprising a step to move the rim (20) upwardly before the step to pull the tensioning ring (24) downwards and/or a step to pull the rim (20) downwardly after the step to pull the tensioning ring (24) downwards. 